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Summer in review

This summer I made it a point to try to take at least one pic of Jordan whenever we went somewhere, which most often was a park. I wanted to capture all the great, fun things we did this summer, knowing that it was probably going to be my last summer not working for quite some time.

So here goes.

I have expressed my love of Frick Park, particularly Blue Slide Park, in other posts; it really is one of our favorites. And this summer marked the first one I did not feel the need to follow J around like a little puppy dog. I actually let her run around and explore, though, admittedly, I would panic if more than three minutes went by and I had not seen her. In the pics above, J is at the end of the blue slide, and then hanging several feet above concrete (which scared the crap out of me).

We also visited another section of Frick Park, the area on the corner of Braddock and Forbes, a few times. There is not as much to do as Blue Slide, but we go there to mix things up a bit. In the photos above, Jordan is on a bridge on one of the trails and then at the top of a slide. I love the trails in Frick; I just wish I could follow them better or have some sense of how long they are...

We spent time at a few other parks in the eastern suburbs (Monroeville, Penn Hills, Forest Hills, etc.). Above are various photos from those outings. Apparently my girl has a lot of pink in her wardrobe! Any park near water is a big hit with Jordan. Unfortunately, sometimes the water appears to be from the sewer system...

This summer Jordan learned to ride a scooter. She is also pretty good at falling off the scooter. I have watched in horror as she flew off that baby on more than one occasion. But I kept calm. Yeah, me! Just because I needed another picture, I also included one of Jordan in front of a chicken at Yarnick's farm in Indiana. You just don't see a giant chicken every day...

Jordan also learned how to dive, for which I am super proud of her. Thanks to a pool membership, swim lessons (at the Boyce Park wave pool, during non-gun-shooting hours, apparently) and time at Nonnie's, we were able to get in a lot of swimming this summer.

In addition to visiting Kennywood Park, as I mentioned in another post, we were also fortunate enough to hit the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, a first visit for Jordan. Love the bone quarry digging area for the kids! I can, however, do without the stinky time capsule exhibit (which is not what the photo above is, in case that is not obvious)...

For one of our final adventures, we went to the Pittsburgh Zoo. We have gone there annually since Jordan was one or two; it really is a favorite destination for us. This year, however, we almost skipped out until in August I got an invite from the Penn State College of Education. They had me at "lunch included." As always, it was a great time, but of course a little warm. Any chance Jordan gets to touch or at least be near an animal, she is all for.

In addition to spending a week with our TX cousins at Nonnie's, that about covers what I often called "the summer of fun." I hope the memories last a long time for both of us, and that they overshadow what I also called "the summer of fighting," which someday I may break down and blog about...

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About Me

I am married with a middle-school-aged daughter. Professionally, I have been a teacher, an editor, a content specialist, and a project manager. Personally, I try to do the right thing.
I love the Pens, the Steelers, and Penn State, and I am a Pirates fan. I also cheer for Pitt.
I love the Burgh and hope to stay here until the bitter end (which hopefully won't be bitter at all).